Closure remover with venting means



` H; BERKMAN CLOSURE REMOVER WITH VENTING MEANS June 1o, 195s Filed July 51, 1956 United States Patent 2,837,946 cLosURE REMovER WITH VENTING MEANS Herbert A. Berkman, Chicago,lll., assignor to Zim Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Iliinois Application July 3'1, V1956, ISerial No. 601,244

'Z Claims. (Cl. SIW-#3.1)

There is a certain type of covered jelly glass which it is ditticult to open by means of conventional implements, because of the tact that there is no shoulder surrounding the glass below the lower edge of the flange on the cover. This lack of a fulcrum prevents the use of the usual prying instruments, while the presence of the vacuum within the glass provides enough resistance against litting the cover to make the removal of the cover troublesome.

The purpose of the present invention is to enable anyone to remove the aforesaid covers quickly and easily.

The object of the present invention is to produce a simple and novel implement for carrying out the aforesaid purpose. n

The various features of novelty whereby the present invention is characterized Will hereinafter be pointed out in the claims; but, for a full understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a vertical section showing fragments of a glass and cover on which the present invention is operable;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l, showing a fragment of a cover-removing implement applied to a glass;

Fig. 3 is a side View, on a smaller scale, of the implement which is only partially illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of such implement;

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3, on a larger scale than in Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a view on a small scale, of a modified form of lever.

Referring to the drawing, 1 represents a lever, shown as being a channel shaped bar. The lever may conveniently be about eight inches long and have a channel width of about one-half inch.

At a short distance inwardly from one end of the bar is a mounted little blade 2, shown as standing at right angles to and with its tip toward and spaced a substantial distance from the bar. In the arrangement shown, the blade is supported `at the end of the horizontal arm 3 of an l.shaped element the long arm 4 of which depends from a plate 5 lying on top of the channel bar and xed thereto by a rivet 6. Parts 2, 3, 4 and S are integral with each other; being fashioned from a single piece of plate stock. The web portion la of the bar is cut away so that the long arm 4 ot the hook-shaped device comprising parts 2, 3 and 4 lies between and is braced by the anges 1b of the bar.

Blade 2 is narrower than parts 3 and 4 and is tapered so as to form a thin edge at the tip. In the face of the blade farthest from arm 4 is a central groove or channel 7 extending from the tip down through the lower end. At the tip the groove merges into a notch 8 which divides the tip into two similar sections.

In Fig. l is illustrated a glass and cover combination Patented June 10, 1958 2 of a type from vwhich the covervmay easily be removed by .my improved implement. In thistgure, A represents the glass proper, B Yis the cover `and C is .an annular compressiblesealingelement lining the ange B1 of the cover. This flange flares a little from a region near the top to the bottom. Consequently, when the cover is pressed down, the sealing elementis compressed and Lpressed into intimate contact with the glass to complete the seal.

To remove the cover, the bar or lever is laid on top of the same, with 'the hook-like attachment extending downward and the groove face of the blade contacting the glass `below `theloweredge of ange B1. Downward -,pressure-on theopposite, vov'erhanging end of the lever causes the blade to ride up along the glass. When the blade reaches the sealing element, its thin edged upper end slips in between such element and the glass. Finally, as shown in Fig. 2, the blade reaches such a level that the notch and groove, or channel, serve as a conduit to admit outside air into the upper part of the glass. Consequently, any vacuum that may have existed in broken and none can be created as further downward pressure on the far end of the lever pulls the cover up and ofi the glass. The leverage of the implement is sucient easily to overcome the frictional resistance and so, in the absence of any resistance due to a vacuum, very little eifort is required to open the glass. v

The bar or lever is well adapted to carry elements to open other containers.

For example, part 5 may have at one edge, at and parallel to one of the long edges of the lever, a thin projecting lip 9, standing at right angles to such part; the lip having at the free edge parallel to the lever a little rib or ridge 10. This is adapted for use to open a glass provided with an external shoulder below the flange on its cover; the lip being inserted, positioned at right angles to the axis of the glass, between the edge of the flange and the shoulder. Then by rocking the lever in a plane beside the glass and parallel to the axis of the same the cover is pried loose; ridge 10, through engagement with the inside of the cover ilange, preventing the lip from slipping out.

Also, the web element of the bar or lever may be extended beyond the end opposite that at which the hooklike opener is located, and be bent and shaped, as at 11, to constitute an element for prying oit bottle caps.

Furthermore, a corkscrew 12 may be nested within the channel in the lever, being hinged at one end, as at 13, to permit it to be swung out to stand at right angles to the lever.

The lever may be bent, as is lever 20 in Fig. 7, so that the larger portion slopes down beside and away from the glass at a small angle. This permits the pressure at the free end of the lever to be at right angles to the axis of the glass and causes the cover to come oit more gently than with a straight lever.

I claim:

l. An implement for removing anged covers from glasses, comprising a lever provided at one end with a laterally projecting hook-like part; the free end of said part being a blade that extends toward the lever, inwardly from said end, and terminates at such a distance from the lever as to lie below the lower edge of the ange on the cover of such a glass when the lever is resting on top of the cover and the blade is on the down side beside the glass; and said blade containing a passage into which outside air may enter and pass into the glass when the blade is forced up between the ilange and the glass.

2. An implement as set forth in claim l, wherein the plane of the blade is at right angles to the lever.

3. An implement as set forth in claim 2 wherein the Wise of the blade in the face adapted to contact the glass,v

together with a notch extending through the thickness of the blade at the tip end of the passage.

4. A closure removing implement comprising a lever, a blade, means supporting the blade from one end of the lever so that it is located inwardly from that end, transversely of the lever, and with its tip directed toward but spaced apart from the lever; and said blade being provided with an air passage extending lengthwise thereof from the tip toward the other end.

5. An implement as set forth in claim 4, wherein the air passage comprises a notch at and extending through the tip of the blade and a groove extending from the 7. A closure removing implement, comprising a bar,

' an` L-shaped member fixed to one end of the bar with notch lengthwise of the blade in the side of the blade l5 facing the opposite end of the lever.

6. An implement as set forth in claim 4 wherein the lever is a channel bar and the blade is an integral part of a member secured to such bar.

its long arm at right angles and its short arm parallel to the bar, said short arm terminating in a blade at right Vangles to and pointing to the bar, and said blade having in the face farthest from said long arm a groove extending throughout the length of the blade.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 934,237 Tolman Sept. 14, 1909 2,151,209 Hohmann Mar. 21, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 924,552 Germany Mar. 3, 1955 

